56 Lessons: October 15, 2012

Dear Everyone,

OK, q-and-a time!

• One thing that the other elders and I would enjoy for a Christmas treat would be American snacks. Examples: cheez-its, fruit snacks, etc.
• Yes, Elder D. and Elder S. work in the area next to our apartment but are in the same branch as us, and, yes, Vila Reis is in our branch and does not have suitable missionary housing! But it is great having another set in the same apartment. It is like that for the whole zone.
• I didn’t get a garrafa (water bottle w/filter) but I only use water that I buy from the store or the juice/soda that members and investigators give us, and we eat plenty of beans and rice to get lots of protein.  We eat it every day! But I still love it!! 
• Our zone has 10 duplos (companionships) in it, so 20 missionaries total.
• I will include my normal schedule in my snail mail letter today.

I will be sure to write Grammie today.  I received a letter from Danny and Krista and the bunch this week as well!

So mission news... we taught 56 lessons this week!!! Which is a TON!!!  Our record high day was 16 lessons in one day. That was a record for Elder W. But all of our baptisms fell though! H. doesn't want anything to do with the Church anymore because of his mom and his friends and our other baptism fell through as well because she was out of town. We tried to get 20 investigators to church this week out of our 25 to 30 investigators and even got up at 4:30 to invite them all to come on Sunday... 3 came... so our goal of 10 baptisms next week doesn't look too promising.  L  It is amazing how many people are not married. We are teaching 3 families where the parents are not married...that makes things a lot harder. But we are having a lot of success at finding new people and making friends with almost everyone. You always have those few people that just don’t like missionaries, but we haven’t had any problems or anything. 

My letter will be a little bit shorter this week because of photos but I´ll try to get as much info as I can in.

So some info about 2 of our families in Vila Reis.

Family 1.  This is an awesome family. They fed us dinner this week after only teaching them one lesson. The mom is a member of 5 years but not active, the dad is Catholic but loved church this past Sunday. Daughter is 11 and was at her grandma’s house and that is why she was not baptized (she has gone to church a lot of times) and then the youngest daughter is 5. Hopefully we can fix the not-married bit in the next week, maybe 2 tops!!

Family 2. Another awesome family, 4 kids. Once again not married but mom is waiting for the divorce to her other husband to become finalized before they can get married. And the kids are awesome! We teach them a word or two in English every time. This family always takes time and stops whatever they are doing to hear our messages. They are almost like our second family down in that part of Vila Reis! They are awesome, and have such a great spirit in their house!

OK, so the photos here are:

1. Me and my district with Irmão R. (boss).

2. Me and President and Sister Degn (CTM president)

3. Me and Elder B. (Elder B's grandparents are good friends of Eldon's grandparents--Marie)

4. Me and Elder G. (I don’t remember his first name but he is one that I know really well, companions with Elder F.) (Elder G. is the son of our BYU Ballroom Dance friends; his twin brother was also in the CTM going to a different mission in Brazil--Marie)

5. My first view in person of Londrina!!

6. Elder W. and me with Elder P. (Elder S.'s trainer) and Elder S.

7. A view of Apucarana but not of our area (Vila Reis)

BTW my camera won’t work with the computers; luckily Elder W.'s camera does. I'll try to figure out a way to get my camera to work before transfers.  Speaking of which, we have transfers on Christmas Day this year!  I will try to get some more pictures taken this week, maybe with investigators and Vila Reis and I'll try and get a few more with Elder W., of course.  I have more photos than this especially of my last day at the CTM with some more of my friends, I will send more via snail mail probably next week so that way I can write info on the back of them and still have more info in my emails!

I don't know what else to put... I'll probably remember in 5 minutes when we leave but...Thanks for the package you are sending! And thanks for getting that message to M.G. I will try and get a letter out to her with the rest of the family snail mail letters this week!!

Love you guys a lot! I’ll be sure to add a lot of the things I forgot to write/didn't have time to write in my snail mail letter today!!  Love you guys so much! The mish is so hard!!! But I love it all the same!!!

Lots of Love!!

Elder Eldon Ray Cummings!! J